Charmed by the world of comics

Serious approach

There’s no doubt that there will always be takers for Amar Chitra Katha and ‘Tinkle’ comics.

But there’s a new kind of comic series that’s become very popular with young people — ‘manga’, the cult Japanese comics, that are read from back to front and from right to left.

They cover a plethora of emotions, span all genres possible and have characteristics unique to the art style.

Metrolife speaks to comic enthusiasts in the City to find out why they find it interesting.Sreejita Biswas, founder of ‘StripTease the Mag’, an online portal for comic lovers, shares her perspective.

“‘Manga’ is very popular and always has been. I’m personally not too into it but with Indian publishers like ‘Level 10’ creating comics like ‘Batu Gaiden’ in ‘manga’ style, you can hardly say that ‘manga’ isn’t popular,” she opines.

She informs that readers of her webzine are always keen to read ‘manga’ news. “It’s so popular that we have a regular section for it. People write to us requesting more articles on ‘manga’ and even offer to do articles on it. People who are serious collectors, who do not stop at just books, collect ‘manga’ toys as well,” elaborates Sreejita.

Taking a step beyond the written and illustrated world of ‘manga’ is ‘anime’, which are popular comic series adapted to television.

This is getting so popular in the City that there’s a 1,000 plus strong community called ‘Bangalore Anime Club (BAC)’ that meets regularly to discuss and share their interest.“I had only heard of ‘manga’ and ‘anime’ but had never got into it.

But a trip to Japan changed it all. Japan is the home of ‘manga’ and just a walk down the famous Akihabara area would tell you how.

Most buildings come with huge ‘manga’ and ‘anime’ characters’ posters, paintings and even life-size models of the famous characters,” shares Monica Bansal, a young professional, adding, “The most striking thing are the sheer variety of characters and level of detailing. I have just started following the ‘Dragon Ball’ series and I think it’s going to be a long and fulfilling affair.”

Men are not left out of the obsession either. Speaking about what drew him to ‘manga’, Aditya Vishag, a fan, says, “‘Manga’ is similar to a novel in the context that it is essentially a long fictional work. A writer has enough space to establish characters and give them depth, which allows readers to identify with them.

The content they create is restricted only by their imagination, which is abundant. Amar Chitra Katha, on the other hand, is based on mythology, folklore and history, which have a fixed premise and conclusion.”

On the future of ‘manga’ in Bangalore, he says, “I’m confident that the number of ‘manga’ readers will increase.

However, printed ‘manga’ is likely to fail as a commercial venture unless there is ease of access coupled with low costs since it can easily be accessed online.”

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